Château de Castelnau-Bretenoux

At 38 km from Rocamadour there is the castle of Castelnau-Bretenoux, this imposing building is erected on a rocky outcrop overlooking the valley of Dordogne. It was built from the XII to the XVII century by a powerful family of barons, the castle of Castelnau ordered once a territory rich valleys on the borders of the county of Toulouse, the County of Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne and duchy of Aquitaine.

It has since kept its great extent, the result of several campaigns reconstruction. The building is dominated by a particular turn-mistress and is surrounded by a village castral his fortress retains the original stately home and its square tower. Seat of a feudal power increasingly powerful, the castle has been constantly expanded and strengthened over the years it has imposing walls and equipped with indoor ranges, a wide gap provided false breeches and tall curtains to walkway connected by circular corner towers.

During the XVII century, it has been embellished with richly decorated rooms, tall windows and arcaded galleries, one of them opened onto a balcony of honor. After the death of the last of Castelnau in 1715, the castle is undergoing a period of deterioration, it ends in 1896 with the tenor of the Opéra-Comique Jean Mouliérat. The artist bought the castle and restored by assembling a large collection of furniture, tapestries and works of religious art. Castelnau has since been given to the state in 1932.